False eyelashes and method of making the same

ABSTRACT

A molded plastic false eyelash having a base strip releasably attached to an eyelid, and a plurality of elongated generally parallel strands of plastic material simulating natural eyelashes and each integrally joined to one side of the base strip. The base strip having a cross section in the shape of a truncated rectangle with projections assisting in holding the strip in place.

United States Patent Inventor Robert Gordon Bau 327l Laurel Canyon Blvd., North Hollywood, Calif. 91604 Appl. No. 447,727

Filed Apr. 13, i965 Patented Feb. 2, 1971 FALSE EYELASHES AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME 1 Claim, [4 Drawing Figs.

U.S.Cl 132/5 Int. Cl A41 g 3 /0!) Field of Search 132/5, 88.7, 3l,53,56, 54; l8/l2; 264/214; 46/l53, 165;

[ 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,324,271 7/1943 Adler l32/53X 2,421,432 6/ l 947 Phillips l32/56X 2,835,259 5/1958 Goodman 132/53 Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-Greg0ry E. McNeill Attorney-Fulwider, Patton, Rieber, Lee and Utecht FALSE EYELASIIES AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME This invention relates to beauty aids, and more particularly to a unique false eyelash construction and method of making the same.

As heretofore practiced. false eyelashes are made manually with human hair that has been cleaned and dried. Stands of hair of the desired color are selected and individually tied intermediate their ends to a base strip of supporting material. which may be formed of a length of thread or a number of similar hairs grouped together. In this manner, two strands of lash-forming hair extend from each knot on the base strip.

After tying the desired number of hair strands onto the base strip, they are trimmed to the desired lengths and then curled, as with a curling iron. Thereafier, and to prevent the loosening of the knotted connections on the base strip, a suitable fixative or glue is applied to the base strip and the knotted portions of the strands thereon.

An intended advantage of the fixative is that. after it has dried, it forms a waterproof coating. For this reason, it is not uncommon to coat all the lashes with the fixative.

As will be appreciated, it is an extremely tedious process to form a false eyelash. Since the strands of hair are extremely small, being of the order of 0.003 inch-0.004 inch diameter, many are broken in trying to tie them to the base strip. Not only do repeated efi'orts have to be made to tie a strand at a given location on the base strip, but it is impossible with manual labor to secure any two strands of hair to the base strip with the same amount of tension. Quite often, a number of strands will be so loosely secured to the base strip that the fixative is ineffectual to hold the knotted connections.

Moreover, it is found that such false eyelashes do not stand up under repeated wearings. In this connection, it is customary to apply a small quantity of adhesive material to the base strip to enable it to be secured to the wearers eyelids. Further, it is customary to apply mascara-a water base material-to false eyelashes to give them the desired body and color. After each wearing, it is necessary to clean the mascara from the lashes. Accordingly, it can be seen that the lashes are repeatedly subjected to one substancewaterthat is almost universally efiective in removing curl from human hair.

In this latter connection, there is no known technique for applying a fixative to all portions of false eyelashes so that water cannot reach the human hairs of which they are made. Still further, substantial portions of the fixative are removed in the process of cleaning mascara off the lashes, so they become wet with water. Accordingly, only a very few wearings are required before the curl in the lashes is completely removed, and the lashes are no longer effective for their intended purpose.

It is an object of my invention to provide a unique false eyelash constnrction which is devoid of the above and other disadvantages of prior art false eyelashes.

It is an object of my invention to provide a unique method of forming false eyelashes which do not have the drawbacks of prior art false eyelashes.

A further object of my invention is to provide a unique plastic construction for false eyelashes which can be made in volume production with uniform characteristics, and which are molded with a permanent curl therein.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a unique method and means for producing false eyelashes which eliminates the time consuming and costly manual labor heretofore employed in making false eyelashes.

The above and other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing of illustrative embodiments thereof, in which:

FIG. I is a sectional view of a cylindrical bar or rod for use in an injection mold for forming eyelashes in accordance with my invention, showing the rod in the process of having the pattern for the eyelashes fonnedtherein;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the rod of FIG. 1 after the pattern has been formed therein, and showing an insert in a mating opening milled in the rod; v

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing grooves milled in the edges of the insert to provide runners for plastic material;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. I, showing a V-shaped configuration for the grooves;

FIG. 4a is a fragmentary sectional view, similar to FIG. 4, showing an alternative form for the grooves;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the cylindrical rod with the eyelash patterns formed therein;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a multicavity mold, to illustrate the use of cylindrical rods with identical patterns for use in high speed production of false eyelashes in accordance with my invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of two pairs of false eyelashes from a single mold;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a single eyelash of my invention;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged side elevation view of one of my false eyelashes in use;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary top plan view of an injection mold showing a different pattern arrangement on the cylindrical rod and different sprue and runner locations for forming false eyelashes;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of another form of false eyelash of my invention;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged side elevational view, similar to FIG. 9, of the false eyelash construction of FIG. 11 in use; and

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the false eyelash construction of FIG. 1 1.

Briefly, and referring to FIG. 4, I provide an elongated rod or bar 10, preferably cylindrical, which is of sufficient diameter that the curvature of its outer surface approximates the curvature desired for false eyelashes. Sets or patterns 11, 1 1 of narrow grooves 13, e.g., 0.005 inch0.007 inch width, which approximate the width of human hair coated with mascara, are formed on opposite sides of an insert 14in which longitudinal grooves 16-18 are formed to provide runners for plastic material in injection molding. The grooves 17, 18 are somewhat deeper than the grooves 13; for example, the grooves 13 may be as deep as they are wide, and the grooves 17, 18 approximately twice that depth. Intermediate the patterns 11, 11', the grooves 16-18 and 16'-18 merge into a circular depression 19, and the outer ends of these grooves merge into enlarged depressions 20, 20'.

As shown, in each pattern e.g., the pattern 11, the grooves 13 on the opposite sides of the insert 14 are mirror images, and they vary in length from end to end in the manner of normal eyelashes.

To form false eyelashes in accordance with my invention (see FIG. 6), the rod 10 is placed in an injection mold 30, the rod being positioned with the bottom portion thereof seated in a mating semicircular cavity 31 in the base plate 32 of the mold. An upper mold plate 33 is placed over the upper portion of the rod 10, such plate being provided with a semicircular cavity to matingly engage the outer surface of the rod.

The upper mold plate 33 is provided with a sprue 35 adjacent the enlarged depression 19 in the rod 10, and an inlet opening 36 through which to force liquid plastic material into the sprue 35 so that it flows into and fills all depressions in the rod 10, e.g., the grooves 16-18 and 16'l8', the grooves 13, 13' and the depressions 19, 20, 20'. Any suitable plastic material may be used, including both thennosetting types (e.g., epoxy resins, polystyrene) and thermoplastic types (e.g., nylon, polyethylene, polypropylene), and it is heated and injected into the mold 30 under pressures conventional for injection molding.

When the plastic material cools and solidifies, the upper mold plate 33 is removed and the molded part is separate from the rod 10. In this connection, conventional kickout rods 38 may be provided to eject the molded part, such rods, for example, extending through openings in the base 32 and the rod 10 to the bottoms of the depressions 19, 20, 20*. When the upper mold plate 33 is removed, the rods 38 are actuated to create the force needed to disengage all portions of the molded part from the rod and eject it from the mold The resulting molded part is illustrated in FIG. 7. As shown. it is formed of two pairs of plastic strips 41, 41' and 42, 42' along the lengths of which extend integral plastic strands 43, 43' and 44, 44' simulating eyelashes. The strips 41, 41' and 42, 42 are joined at their inner ends to a center head 46. which is an enlarged section of the molded part formed via the plastic material injected in and filling the sprue 35. At their outer ends, these strips are connected to relatively fiat heads 47, 48 which resulted from the plastic material filling the depresions 20, 20' in the rod 10. The heads 46-48 are also connected by center strips 49, 49 which results from the material filling the center grooves 16, 16' in the rod 10.

After the plastic pan shown in FIG. 7 is ejected from the mold, the heads 46-48 and the center strips 49, 49' are removed, as by cutting through the strips adjacent the end lashes. FIG. 8 shows one of the lashes, e.g., the lashes 43 extending from the strip 41. As will be seen, if the lashes 43 are to be fitted over the lashes of the left eye, then the lashes 43', being the mirror images of the lashes 43, will be the matching lashes to be fitted over the lashes of the right eye.

In this latter connection, FIG. 9 illustrates the portion of a person's eyelid 50, with the base strip 41 attached to the eyelid and with the lashes 43 overlaying and extending well beyond the ends of the person's own lashes 51. The base strip 41 is secured to the eyelid 50 in the same manner as with prior art false eyelashes, i.e., by coating the strip 41 with an adhesive material and presing it against the eyelid immediately above the wearer's lashes 51 As will be noted, one significant advantage of my invention is that the plastic strands of the false lashes of my invention are molded with a permanent curvature therein. Sine they are formed in grooves in the cylindrical surface of the rod 10, the plastic material upon cooling and solidifying forms strands which are permanently curved. Still further, since these lashes are made of plastic material, they are unaffected by water, and therefore will not have the curl therein removed when cleaning after use.

Further, it is unnecessary with the false lashes of my invention to use mascara material to give them the desired color and body." In this connection, the plastic material of which the lashes are formed is made up in the color desired. Thus, for example, the false lashes may be molded of plastic that is solid black, in which case it is unnecessary to apply black mascara to them. Also, the strands forming the false lashes are made of sufficient size to conform to the size of human lashes with mascara applied thereto.

In forming false eyelashes in the manner described, the lashes are made to conform more to the shape of human lashes than do false eyelashes made with human hair. In this connection, it will be recalled that false eyelashes made with human hair are trimmed to the desired lengths, which means they are fonned with blunt ends, in contrast to the tapered and pointed ends of natural human hair. FIGS. 1-4 illustrate how false eyelashes are fonned when it is desired tomake them with tapered ends.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, a rotating cutting wheel 60 is brought to bear against the surface of the rod 10 for forming the grooves 13 therein. For each groove 13, it will be understood that the rod 10 is moved through an angle such that the cutting wheel 60 fomrs the groove of the desired length. As will be observed, the ends of each groove formed in this manner are tapered, the extent of the taper depending upon the relative diameters of the rod 10 and the cutting wheel 60. Accordingly, the plastic strands molded therein are, as with natural lashes, elements which gradually taper to a point.

As shown in FIG. 4, the groove 13 may be formed as a V- shaped groove. However, the shape of the groove depends upon the shape of the cutting edge of the wheel 60, and of course can be made many desired shape, e.g., a rounded groove as indicated at 61 in FIG. 4d.

FIGS 2 and 3 illustrate steps following the forming of the grooves 13 in the manner shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 2, a channel 62 is milled along the rod 10 through the centers of the grooves I3. The insert 14 itself is milled along its outer edges to provide the runner grooves 17, 18 previously described. Also, the depressions I9, 20, 20' described with reference to FIG. 5 are milled in the faces of the rod 10 and the insert 14 after the insert 14 is positioned in the rod. The insert 14 fits tightly in the channel 62 so as to provide no space between the abutting walls of the insert and the channel into which liquid plastic can be forced.

FIG. 10 illustrates a modification to a pattern in which a solid rod 65, i.e., without an insert, is formed with grooves of the same length and depth throughout, as indicated at 66. The grooves 66 are interrupted by a central longitudinal groove 67 extending from a depression 68 to which plastic material under pressure is applied through a sprue 69 formed in the base mold plate 32' in which the rod 65 is seated. In this connection, the depression 68 is connected in fluid communication with the sprue 69 by a groove 70 formed in the lateral surface of the rod 65.

Grooves 71, 72 are formed in the surfaceof the rod 65 at the remote ends of the grooves 66. Accordingly, upon covering the rod with the upper mold plate and ejecting the liquid plastic into the sprue 69, the material flows through the center groove 67 and outwardly into the grooves 66 and the longitudinal grooves 71, 72. In the resulting plastic part, the strips from the grooves 71, 72 form the base strips for the lashes. Since the lashes (formed by strands molded in the grooves 66) are all of the same length, it is necessary to trim them to the desired shapes, as along trim lines as indicated in FIG- 10.

Again referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, it should be noted that a false eyelash construction formed as above described is a plastic part in which the strands forming the lashes are flat on the surfaces of thelashes which register against the wearer's lashes 51, and that the upper portions of the lashes have surface configurations conforming to the shapes of the grooves formed in the rod 10. With such a lash construction attached to the eyelid as above described, it will be observed that since the strands are wider than the natural lashes 51, the false lashes effectively mask the natural lashes, and without any natural lashes extending between and projecting above adjacent false lashes.

While I prefer to form the false eyelashes with flat surfaces for the portions of the strands to be fitted adjacent the natural lashes, it will be apparent that my invention embraces a construction in which the lashes have a different cross section. For example, the upper mold plate 33 may be formed with grooves contiguous with the grooves 13 in the rod 10, e.g., semicircular grooves in both the rod 10 and the upper mold plate in order to produce a molded part in which the strands forming the lashes are of circular cross section.

FIGS. 11-13 illustrate a false eyelash construction of my invention which is adapted to be affixed to the eyelid without the use of adhesive material. In this construction, the base strip is formed with projections 81 on the surface thereof in which the flat surfaces of the strands 82 tenninate. As will be apparent, the projections 81 are formed by providing suitable indentations in theupper mold plate 33-which are aligned with the grooves 17, 18 and 17', 18 in the arrangements of FIGS. 5 and 6 (or aligned with the grooves 71, 72 in the arrangement of FIG. 10). As indicated, the projections 81 are located near the edge of the flat surface of the base strip 80 nearest the strands 82. When the base strip 80 is placed against the eyelid (see FIGS. 12 and 13), each projection 81 extends downwardly between pairs of the natural lashes 51. Thus, the projections 81 aid in anchoring the false lash construction to the natural lashes.

Still further, the base strip 80 of the false eyelash construction of FIGS. 11-13 is shaped to permit it to be engaged or captured by the skin of the eyelid. In this connection, the surface of the base strip opposite the projections 81 is tapered, as indicated at 84, to provide a narrow edge portion 85 which can readily be partially embedded in the skin of the eyelid and held in place thereby. Thus, the narrow edge portion 85 and the projections 81 on the base strip 80 cooperate to hold this false eyelash construction in place.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made in the illustrative constructions and methods of making false eyelashes, including such constructions made by extrusion or other molding methods than injection molding, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

lclaim:

l. A one-piece, integrally molded false eyelash having, in combination:

an elongated base strip of flexible plastic material to be releasably attached to a person's eyelid, said base strip having a cross section in the shape of a rectangle which is truncated at one end to form a trapezoid and further including a plurality of spaced projections on the end opposite said truncated end for cooperating with the truncated end to hold the base strip in place on an eyelid;

a plurality of elongated generally parallel strands of said plastic material arranged in side-by-side relation along said base strip and projecting laterally therefrom in a pattern simulating natural eyelashes; and

each of said strands having one end integrally joined to one side of said base strip. being permanently curved in the manner of a natural eyelash, having a nonrectangular cross section narrower in width adjacent one side of the lash, and tapering substantially to a point at the end remote from said base strip. 

1. A one-piece, integrally molded false eyelash having, in combination: an elongated base strip of flexible plastic material to be releasably attached to a person''s eyelid, said base strip having a cross section in the shape of a rectangle which is truncated at one end to form a trapezoid and further including a plurality of spaced projections on the end opposite said truncated end for cooperating with the truncated end to hold the base strip in place on an eyelid; a plurality of elongated generally parallel strands of said plastic material arranged in side-by-side relation along said base strip and projecting laterally therefrom in a pattern simulating natural eyelashes; and each of said strands having one end integrally joined to one side of said base strip, being permanently curved in the manner of a natural eyelash, having a nonrectangular cross section narrower in width adjacent one side of the lash, and tapering substantially to a point at the end remote from said base strip. 